Ione, California

Ione ( ) is a city in Amador County, California. As of the 2020 census the population is 5,141, which is a 35.1% decrease from the 2010 census. Once known as " Bedbug" and "Freeze Out," Ione was an important supply center on the main road to the Mother Lode and Southern Mines during the California gold rush.

History

Ione is the historical home of the Sierra Miwok Indians. In 1840, the future town site became part of the Mexican land grant Rancho Arroyo Seco in Alta California.

The town is located in the fertile Ione Valley; it is believed to have been named by Thomas Brown around 1849 after one of the heroines in Edward Bulwer-Lyttons drama '' The Last Days of Pompeii'', but conflicting legends and sources for the name exist. During the days of the California gold rush, the miners knew the town by the names of "Bedbug" and "Freezeout." Unlike other communities in Amador County that were founded on gold mining, Ione was a supply center, stage and rail stop, and agricultural hub.

The first post office opened in 1852. The town of Ione continued to grow and prosper after its gold rush founding. The first school was built in 1853. The historic Methodist Church was organized in 1853 and the structure was completed in 1862. The first flour mill was built in 1855. The first brick building was built by Daniel Stewart, D. Stewart Company Store, in 1855 for his general merchandise store. It is still owned and operated by Stewart family descendants.

In March 1865, Camp Jackson was built nearby. It was garrisoned by Company D, 2nd California Volunteer Cavalry, who stayed for three months before moving to a new post.

At the centennial celebration of 1876, Ione had a population of about 600, which included about 100 Chinese who lived in Ione's Chinatown. The town included one public school, four churches, four general stores, one meat market, one laundry, one brewery, a restaurant, millinery shop, an art gallery, six saloons, a drug store and barber shop, and many other business establishments. The centennial also celebrated the completion of the Stockton and Ione Railroad, which had been incorporated in 1873 to build a long narrow gauge railroad from Stockton via Linden to Ione. It ceased operations in 1876.

The centennial celebration was the beginning of what is now known as the Ione Homecoming. This annual celebration has been held during the month of May almost every year since that first Centennial celebration in 1876. It is held annually on the second full weekend in May.

The City of Ione was incorporated as a General Law City in 1953.

Ione has many landmarks and historical points of interest. Three are listed as California Historical Landmarks:
* The Preston School of Industry, known as The Castle, was built between 1890–1894 to serve as a school for juveniles referred by the courts. The Castle is not in use, but the Preston Castle Foundation is working to help restore it.
* Community Methodist Church of Ione
* D. Stewart Company Store (#788)

Geography

Ione is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.31%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ione has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Ione had a population of 5,141. The population density was . The racial makeup of Ione was 76.0% White, 2.3% African American, 1.9% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 6.9% from other races, and 11.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.0% of the population.

The Census reported that 94.9% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4.6% were institutionalized.

There were 1,968 households, out of which 30.8% included children under the age of 18, 52.7% were married-couple households, 5.3% were cohabiting couple households, 26.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 24.5% of households were one person, and 14.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48. There were 1,375 families (69.9% of all households).

The age distribution was 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% aged 18 to 24, 23.5% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 43.6years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males.

There were 2,084 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,968 (94.4%) were occupied. Of these, 73.9% were owner-occupied, and 26.1% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 3.8% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 89.8% spoke only English at home, 8.7% spoke Spanish, 0.0% spoke other Indo-European languages, 1.3% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 94.4% were high school graduates and 19.3% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income was $78,661, and the per capita income was $41,244. About 2.7% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

Government

Politics

In the state legislature, Ione is in , and in . Federally, Ione is in .

State government

Mule Creek State Prison is located in the community. According to the Mule Creek State Prison website, there are 3,782 prisoners residing in the facility, well above the designed capacity of 1,700. They account for more than half of Ione's total population.

Adjacent to Mule Creek is the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Training Academy, which trains staff from all over California. Also located here is the Preston Youth Correctional Facility (formerly the Preston School of Industry, which was deactivated in 2011).

Notable people

* Tiny Bonham, baseball player
* Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist, raised in Ione
* Justin Grant, racing driver
* Merle Haggard, singer and songwriter
* Eliza Withington (1825–1877), photographer

See also

References

External links

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Cities in Amador County, California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places established in 1849
1849 establishments in California